


don't you worry child (radio edit)

by sofarsoperfect



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Radio DJs, Chan is really bad at having a secret identity, Elements of Chatfic, Gratuitous Costume Descriptions, Halloween Parties and Costumes, M/M, Mutual Pining, Secret Identities, That's just a fact, just a lil bit but it's there
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-17
Updated: 2018-10-17
Packaged: 2019-08-03 15:32:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16328705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sofarsoperfect/pseuds/sofarsoperfect
Summary: “Thanks, J.One,” CB said, Felix reaching up to turn it up a bit. “As you guys know, Fall Fest is this Friday, but fear not faithful listeners, we will be on regardless of the fest, nine on the dot. Yours truly will be right behind the DJ booth once more, with a crafty mask as always.”“Still trying to keep a lid on your secret identity, are you?” SpearB jibed.“Can’t let anyone know who my Clark Kent is, can I?” CB joked.





	don't you worry child (radio edit)

“It’s nine o’clock here on the KNUA radio, KNUA 128.6, and you know what that means. It’s time for 3RACHA to take over the mics. How’re you guys doing tonight, it’s CB97 here on the main mic for you, my boys SpearB and J.One with me tonight, we are here for all your late night needs, working the radio from nine until midnight every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Here to start your week, here to end it,” Chan introduced the radio as he did every night, Jisung and Changbin settling in in their seats. “Before we get started we wanted to shout out to all our friends working their butts off on these midterms, it’s been no joke and I want to thank all our viewers for tuning in; grab a fresh coffee, sharpen your pencil and settle in for the next three hours.”

“To get started tonight, we’re gonna play a personal favorite from all of us, this is Sober by Childish Gambino. Really set the mood for the night,” Jisung informed them, reaching out to put the song down on their player. The beginnings of the song started to filter out, Changbin pulling out his phone as it vibrated in his pocket.

 **minnow:** do tell hyung that he really doesn’t sound as cool as he thinks he does when he does that intro

 **binnie:** lmao

Jisung leaned over to look over Changbin’s shoulder, the two of them giggling quietly together. Chan reached over for them, Changbin bending over to try and hide his phone. The song starting to peter off, causing Jisung to grab for a new song in an effort to cover the sounds of their chairs squeaking and struggling for Changbin’s phone. One Dance started playing and Chan launched out of his chair entirely to get to Changbin’s phone.

“Hyung!” Changbin complained, the two of them ending up on the ground. Jisung put his face in his hands and watched the song’s progress on the screen, hoping the two of them would be done by the time the music ended.

 

Felix turned up the radio, nodding his head to the sound of no tears left to cry by Ariana Grande, tapping his fingers against his laptop as he tried to finish his philosophy essay. He still had a few thousand words to go and he huffed as he reached out for his coffee, finding his cup empty again. Putting it back down, he reached for his jacket, pulling it on as one of the DJs started talking again.

“That was no tears left to cry by Ariana Grande. What a jam that was this summer, still listening well into October because how can you not?

“It’s 11.16 pm tonight here on the KNUA campus on this brisk Wednesday night. The temperature is approximately 12 degrees, don’t forget your jacket on your walk back from the library tonight,” SpearB suggested. “We’ll be here with you for just about another 45 minutes before we sign off for the night. We want to thank our viewers again for being with us, tuning in while you study diligently for your midterms. We wish you the best of luck.”

“Before we play the next song, we’d like to remind you all about the up and coming dance showcase just after midterms, presented by the head of the Dance department, Park Jinyoung, and performed almost entirely by the university’s dance troupe. And later this month, the school will be hosting its annual fall and halloween carnival, don’t forget to show up, it’s completely free and one can only hope some lucky Senior will spike the punch by the DJ booth again,” J.One joked, getting a laugh from both of his other DJs.

“I hope not,” CB97 put in, causing Felix to pause at the door. “Did you forget it was yours truly who was almost blamed for that,” CB97 commented. “Just because I was the DJ doesn’t mean I spiked the punch, I’m just saying.”

“Will you be DJing this year as well, CB?” SpearB asked.

“Of course, I was asked by the one and only Im Jaebum about it this year. I would be more than happy to DJ the carnival again, it was a blast.”

“You heard it hear first, viewers, if anyone wants to get a look at the allusive and talented CB97 he’ll be turning up the music and playing the jams at this year’s Fall Fest. How about the after party?”

“What after party?” CB97 feigned confusion. “I know absolutely nothing about a Fall Fest after party, but if I did, you could see me in the exact same place, right behind the DJ booth.”

“Hypothetically speaking?” J.One suggested.

“Exactly.” The three of them laughed, CB97 leaning a little closer to his mic. “Anyway, as we wind down the night, here’s a song by a group from my home country, it’s 5 Second of Summer’s Youngblood. This album really killed it and this song is personal favorite. Here it is,” CB97 introduced it, the opening of the song playing through the speakers.

Felix turned the doorknob, pushing open the door and letting himself out of his dorm. He walked down to the dorm commons, thankful to be on the first floor as he poured himself a fresh cup of coffee. The commons seemed to be constantly brewing coffee during midterms, in fact the coffee was left on the counter with a stack of filters, a sign next to it that read IF YOU EMPTY, PLS BREW MORE. WE’RE ALL DYING.

Felix found the pot still a quarter full and headed back to his room, sitting back down in the middle of Youngblood’s second chorus.

11.26 pm

 

“You catch the show last night?” Minho asked at practice the next day. Felix looked up from where he was stretching out. “I know it was super late, but they gave a shout out to the dance troupe.”

“Yeah, I was up late writing my philosophy paper,” Felix sighed, sitting up and relaxing his body. “You know them or something?” Felix asked. Minho shook his head.

“I don’t, but they seem like cool guys. Everyone on campus tunes into their show, it’s really popular,” Minho said, getting to his feet. Felix looked around the dance troupe, Hyunjin catching his eye and walking over. “Hyunjinnie might know J.One, he’s a freshman, right?” Minho suggested, Hyunjin’s eyes lighting up curiously. He reached down for Felix’s hands, Felix taking the help to get to his feet.

“That radio DJ? Nah, I don’t know,” Hyunjin replied. “I caught the show last night, though, CB’s playing the Fall Fest, that’s gonna be cool as hell,” Hyunjin commented, smiling widely while tugging Felix towards him. Felix stumbling into his friend’s side.

“I didn’t know he was Australian…” Felix mumbled.

“Funny coincidence,” Minho said. “C’mon, let’s get going.” He nodded to the rest of the troupe getting together to practice their numbers. Felix and Hyunjin walked over, meeting the rest of their members, Bambam, Jeongguk and Yugyeom smiling widely. Bambam tugging Felix closer, asking him about his number with Hyunjin and Minho, immediately making their previous conversation melt away.

Dance practice was about as long and grueling as it ever was, Felix dripping with sweat as he walked out of the building with Bambam and Hyunjin. The two of them were chattering about Bitter Ends and their to-die-for iced coffees while Felix sat down on the metal bench, appreciating the cold temperature of the metal combined with the freezing cold breeze blowing through campus. He opened his eyes as Woojin sat down next to him, flashing him an obnoxiously pearly white and sweet smile.

“Still wanna get lunch?” Woojin asked. Felix nodded his head vigorously, jumping to his feet to follow him down the sidewalk, Hyunjin finally departing from Bambam’s side to go with them, Minho running to catch up and stumbling right into Woojin’s back as they walked. Woojin made a soft ‘oof’ noise, stumbling forward an extra foot, only to pause and let Minho jump on his back.

“And I thought Channie hyung was the koala,” Hyunjin mumbled to Felix. Felix smiled, the four of them going into the student dinner to see Chan, Changbin and Seungmin already sitting together. Changbin and Seungmin were playing a rather aggressive game of thumb war while Chan was on his phone.

“Hey,” Woojin called out, dropping Minho, who stumbled once before steadying himself against the table. Hyunjin shoved his hyung towards the booth, Woojin stopping outside the booth to let Felix scoot into the circle booth before him. Felix shuffling in, squishing up against Chan, who lowered his phone with a blinding, dimpled grin.

“Living in your phone again, hyung?” Minho commented, draping himself along Changbin’s back. “What are you always doing on your phone anyway, messaging some girlfriend we don’t know about?” Minho teased him, wiggling his brows. Chan snorted, locking his phone and shoving it in his back pocket.

“You wish you had the ammunition,” Chan replied. “Sungie and Jeonginnie’s class ran late so they’ll be here soon,” Chan informed them. “You guys look starved,” Chan commented, looking at the dancers.

“Dance was long,” Hyunjin commented, hooking his chin over Minho’s shoulder. “We are starving, I need food.”

The waitress showed up, a friend of Woojin and Chan’s who’s name was Jihyo, getting them all their drinks to start and handing out their menus. It was normal for all of them to show up, they would be getting the same things, they always did, but the menus were there and Chan ordered Jeongin and Jisung’s drinks for them. Jihyo winked before disappearing to get their drink orders in, Chan turning towards Felix, who was fiddling with the menu.

“You’re being quiet today,” Chan commented, gently elbowing him in the side. Felix looked up, the menu open in front of him even if he wasn’t actually looking at it. “You okay?”

“I didn’t sleep a lot last night, up late working on my essay,” Felix told him. Chan nodded. “Speaking of, can you proof read it for me? I finished at, like, two and it probably has some fucked up grammar issues,” Felix told him. Chan smiled at him.

“‘Course I can, ‘Lix,” Chan agreed.

“Hey, hyung,” Seungmin said, catching Chan and Woojin’s attentions. “I was aiming for one, but both works. You guys catch the show last night?” He asked, lifting a brow. Woojin nodded while Chan smiled softly.

“3RACHA? Ah, nah, I had some stuff I had to do, was it good?” Chan asked, thanking Jihyo as she set their drinks down. There was a brief interlude as Jihyo took their orders, all of them ordering the same things as they always did, Woojin ordering for Jeongin and Jisung. Jihyo disappeared, Seungmin turning towards Chan again.

“They shouted out the dance troupe, and I guess CB is playing the Fall Fest,” Seungmin commented. Chan nodded, sipping from his drink. “You guys are going to the Fall Fest, right?”

“We don’t usually,” Changbin admitted. “I bet ‘Sungie gonna drag me along this time but we usually skip it. All it is is a bunch of freshmen and faculty running around playing children’s carnival games and trying to make it cool,” Changbin admitted. “But Minho is still the undisputed champ of bobbing for apples,” Changbin pointed out, Minho smiling quite smugly.

“How does anyone get good at that game?” Seungmin asked, turning towards his hyung. It immediately launched a long explanation from Minho, causing Hyunjin and Seungmin immediately regretting wondering out loud.

“CB’s from Australia,” Felix commented softly to no one in particular. Chan choked on his water, Woojin’s head whipping up at the mention. Chan pushed his water away, Felix’s eyes going wide as he patted Chan on the back. Chan coughed into his fist, clearing his throat and then looked at Felix. “You okay, hyung?”

“Yeah… wrong pipe…” Chan explained. “He said that?” He asked, looking confused.

“He played 5SOS, said they were from his home country. Small world,” Felix said with a bit of a snort. Woojin peered around Felix to give Chan a look, who nodded.

“Yeah, crazy…” Chan replied.

Jeongin and Jisung showed up just before the food landed on the table, Jeongin squishing in next to Hyunjin, Jisung shoving Woojin closer to Felix, who in turn ended up pressed right up against Chan. Jisung immediately tossed his bag down, crossing his legs on the seat, making Woojin grumble about his knee in his thigh.

“Is there actually an after party to the Fall Fest?” Hyunjin asked, lifting a napkin to wipe at his mouth. Chan looked at Woojin who looked back with a little nod, and then Chan turned to Changbin, who also nodded.

“Yeah,” Chan agreed. “The DJs get together and choose a location for the after party, it’s usually an off campus apartment and then they email their friends and their friends email their friends and… you get the idea. We were planning on going to that, for sure,” Chan explained. “Especially since we’re seniors, we’re definitely gonna get the email on the location,” Chan said, winking at Woojin.

“It’s also a Halloween party,” Minho mentioned, taking a sip of his drink. “Don’t forget to mention. The Fall Fest is always the Friday before Halloween so that Saturday, the party goes off,” Minho mentioned with a little smirk. “If you aren’t dressing like the sluttiest version of yourself, you’re not doing it right.”

“Is that how college works?” Jeongin asked, leaning on the table.

“That’s how Minho works,” Woojin answered with a little smile. “You decided on your costume yet?” Woojin asked, munching on a fry.

“Not yet, but some of the girls from Delta Zeta are dressing up as sexy versions of My Hero Academia characters and Momo noona gave me an open invitation to show up with them as one of the boys,” Minho told him, making Chan roll his eyes. “Bambam and Yugyeom already agreed to be Dahyun’s Deku and Tenya, respectively.”

“Get a blonde wig,” Jisung suggested. “Or just go back to blond, it was a good look on you.” Minho stuck his tongue out at him.

“Get a wig and be Todoroki,” Felix commented softly with a smile. Minho’s eyes lit up immediately, Felix smiling wider, toothy and bright. “You got the face for it, hyung.”

“Deku Squad,” Seungmin mumbled softly, getting a soft snort from Changbin.

 

“It’s good,” Chan told him, setting the essay down. “I mean yeah, there are a few grammar issues but it’s not bad,” Chan insisted, sitting on the corner of Felix’s bed while Felix sat in his desk chair at his laptop. “Can you pull the file up?” Chan asked, standing up. Felix nodded, turning to his laptop, opening the document. Chan leaned over his back, explaining a couple of the regularities in his essay.

Felix fixed a few of them, Chan’s eyes diverting from the screen to the desk around them. Felix’s laptop took up the middle of it but the rest of it was spread with pens, pencils, a coffee mug to the right, a line of small plushies on the left. There were other small trinkets all over the place, his eyes traveling up to the shelf. It was lined with notebooks, binders and in the very middle was a gap for a radio. A classic radio, antenna and all sitting right in the middle with glowing green numbers on the digital display, the little black box not taking up a lot of room was place directly in the middle of the shelf.

“You have a radio?” Chan asked. Felix looked at him and then followed his gaze to the radio. “You listen to it?” He asked and Felix let out a little laugh, turning pink the cheeks. Chan looked at him, Felix avoiding his eyes.

“Yeah. I listen to 3RACHA on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays,” Felix admitted. “They play a lot of English songs so it’s kind of nice to listen to,” Felix explained. “The DJs are really funny too, they’re fun to listen to.” Felix finished the last part Chan had pointed out. “That look any better?” Felix asked, moving the conversation back on the essay.

“Why don’t you just listen on your computer? They have a live player on the website,” Chan pointed out. Felix shrugged, moving his hands to his lap.

“I dunno, I just like listening through the radio. I’ve always liked the radio, it’s… I listened to it a lot back home, and my parents gave me this before I left,” Felix explained, reaching up to tweak the antenna. “I guess it is kind of silly to keep using it.”

“Not if it means something to you,” Chan told him. Felix turned his head to look at him, Chan smiling down at him. “We all have those things. I get it.”

“Thanks, hyung,” Felix replied. “What about this, though, it’s due tomorrow,” Felix said, pointing to the computer screen. Chan leaned directly over his shoulder to look at it, squinting a bit as he looked at it. Felix thought about scooting a little bit away from Chan but his hand was resting on the back of his chair and Felix bit his lip, so up close with Chan’s profile.

“Yeah,” Chan said, moving back a bit, blinking once when he saw Felix was looking at him already. He smiled slowly and softly at him. “Looks good.”

“You’re late, young man,” Changbin said, lying on the sofa in the main room when Chan walked in the door. Chan rolled his eyes, tossing his messenger bag onto the the kitchen table, Minho pinned under Changbin’s legs, elbow resting on his calves, chin in hand while Changbin didn’t even lift his eyes from his phone. “Where have you been?” He continued in an accusatory tone without even looking up.

“Helping Felix with an essay, like I said before I left,” Chan informed them. He walked towards them, sitting down in the armchair. “His Korean is getting better.”

“I’m sure his personal tutoring is helping,” Minho commented, lifting a brow.

“Shut up,” Chan said, reaching behind himself to throw the throw pillow at his face. Minho caught it before it could make impact, tucking it under his arms, between them and Changbin’s legs. “Felix and I are just friends.”

“And yet he doesn’t know that you’re CB97,” Minho commented, stroking his chin with a critical look. Chan huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. Minho dropped his hand, Changbin finally lowering his phone to look at him.

“He idolizes them, especially CB,” Chan mumbled. Minho’s eyes softened. “I can’t tell him I’m CB, he’d be so disappointed. CB is some mysterious, successful radio DJ here at the university and what am I? His dorky hyung who ignores him all the time to go to some secret nightly thing? You guys invite us to shit all the time and we can’t go because of 3RACHA. He must hate me half the time.”

“That’s not true,” Minho told him. “He knows you have prior commitments and he’s not gonna be disappointed that you’re CB. He thinks you’re incredible, Felix loves you.”

“But he has a crush on CB,” Chan pointed out. Minho’s shoulders fell, Changbin looking down at his lap. “He does, I know he does. He doesn’t feel that way about me.”

“Do you want him to?” Changbin asked, hesitantly looking at his hyung. Chan bit his lip, chewing on it thoughtfully for a moment. He sighed and got up, grabbing his bag from the table, Minho and Changbin watching him with sad expressions. “Hyung…?”

“It’s not important,” Chan replied. “I gotta finish this paper,” Chan said, going into his room, his bedroom door shutting behind him.

 

“I don’t wanna go…” Felix moaned, hiding under his blankets. Jisung pulled on his roommates hand, trying to pull him out from under his covers. “No… Jisungie… don’t make me go…” Felix complained, trying to burrow further under his blankets. Hyunjin and Seungmin watched from the doorway, not even bothering to come closer and help Jisung. Jisung tugged extra hard, only causing himself to tumble backwards and fall on his ass. “No!” Felix said, like a petulant child, pulled his covers up until only his eyes were visible.

“A little help?” Jisung said, throwing his hands down on the floor with a frown. Hyunjin leaned out the doorway and looked around while Seungmin pulled out his phone with a sigh. “This is your show, Hyunjin, can’t you help me a little bit?”

“Nah,” Hyunjin replied, getting a pout for his trouble. “What’re you doing?” Hyunjin asked, peering over Seungmin’s shoulder to see what he was doing.

“Getting Jisung help,” Seungmin replied. He locked his phone and tucked it in his pocket. They all stood there for a minute, just waiting to see what would happen until they all heard three sets of feet coming up the stairs. Hyunjin peered out the door, his eyes going wide.

“Oh, Seungmin, that’s mean,” Hyunjin commented before Woojin, Chan and Minho showed up behind them. Seungmin smiled triumphantly to himself.

Felix disappeared completely under his blankets when he saw them there, curling up into a ball. The three of them surveyed the room, Jisung still sitting on his butt and the ball of Felix they could all clearly see under the covers. Chan sighed while Minho walking in the room first, digging his hands under the blanket to grab Felix.

“Hyung!” Felix whined, fighting him off. Minho reached under the blankets, the duvet flailing around but not dislodging from where Felix had tucked himself in. “Hyung, no!” Felix complained when Minho finally grabbed a hold of his arm, tugging. “Hyung, no!” Felix yelled, his other hand gripping the far side of the mattress to stay in bed.

“Alright,” Woojin said, coming into the room. He got down on the floor with Minho, tugging on Felix’s ankle. Felix was surprisingly strong, his grip hard on the mattress. Hyunjin lifted a brow, Seungmin watching with a tilted head while Jisung scrambled out of the way when it looked like Minho was about to fall over.

“I will not move!” Felix said, scooting towards the wall, trying to hook even his free ankle on the edge of the mattress. Woojin and Minho groaned.

“Let go, Felix! You still have to change and the show is in two hours!” Minho told him. “Respect your hyungs!”

“No! I’m tired!” Felix called back. Minho did, eventually lose his balance and tip onto his ass, letting go of Felix’s arm with a yelp. He moaned, rubbing his backside as he got up, walking to the floor, leaving Woojin to the task on his own.

“Jesus,” Chan huffed. “I got this,” he said, walking through the crowd. He walked to the edge of the bed, gently nudging Woojin out of the way. Woojin let go of Felix, throwing his hands up as Chan got to the edge of the bed. Felix immediately fetal positioned again, just like Chan expected him to. He clung to the far side of the mattress but Chan merely threw the blanket back.

Felix yelped, clinging to the mattress but Chan wedged his arms underneath his back and knees, pulling him free with a couple of strong tugs. Felix let out shriek and clung to Chan in a panic when he realized Chan was picking him up. Chan looked at them all with a pointed look, Jisung throwing his hands up and walking out while Minho shook his head, ushering the rest of them out of the room. Woojin shook his head at him, Chan setting Felix down on the ground with a self satisfied smile.

“Channie hyung,” Felix whined, clinging to Chan’s shoulders.

“Get dressed,” Chan told him. “You’re gonna be late, and don’t make me come up here again,” Chan playfully warned him. Felix huffed, crossing his arms over his chest as Chan left the room, winking at him before shutting the door.

They made it to the auditorium with a little less than an hour and thirty minutes until curtain, Felix grumbling about Chan picking him up the whole time. Chan looked more than a little pleased with himself. Minho dragged Hyunjin and Felix to the dressing rooms while waving the rest of them off, the rest of them telling them to ‘break a leg’ the entire time they ran towards the dressing rooms to finish getting ready.

The auditorium was sparsely populated given how early it was, the entire room filled with chattering students and faculty, the six of them struggling to get to the seats nearest the front without it being uncomfortable for them to see. The auditorium seemed to fill quite quickly afterwards, Seungmin and Jeongin leaning their heads together as they played a game on Seungmin’s phone, Jisung leaning his head on Changbin’s shoulder as they shared headphones, listening to music to drown out the chattering. Chan was checking his email, again.

“You really do check that thing too much,” Woojin commented. Chan looked up to see his friend giving him a knowing look. Chan sighed, glancing to see if Seungmin and Jeongin were paying attention. He leaned into Woojin’s side.

“Jaebum hyung keeps emailing me about the show, he just wants to be kept up to date on it, y’know? Besides, the Fall Fest is next week, he wants to meet up about the DJ booth before the carnival.”

“Did you guys pick an apartment for the party yet?” Woojin asked.

“Jimin and Yerin live off campus this year, they’re in charge of Fest design, they suggested their apartment. It’s in the village, five minute walk from the shuttle stop. They live on the second floor but it’s the first door on the right. Big living room, they even have a window alcove for a DJ booth. I’m gonna check it out next week so we can get a good setup,” Chan explained, smiling.

“You gonna invite the guys?” Woojin asked.

“Can you do it?” Chan asked. Woojin gave him an unimpressed look. “What? I got so much to do before the fest, man.”

“The things I do to hide your secret identity,” Woojin joked, making Chan smile at him. “Email me the info from Jimin and I’ll email Minho, we’ll chain it to the underclassmen. No problem. Are you seriously gonna be that busy next week?”

“Thank God midterms are over, or I would die,” Chan told him, making Woojin snort. The lights went down, Chan turning his attention to the front, shoving his phone in his pocket while Changbin tucked his into his jacket, Jisung still leaning his head on Changbin’s shoulder though.

Park Jinyoung gave a short introduction before the dance troupe took the stage. There were a couple of solo performances scheduled, personally choreographed pieces and a solo piece by Jeongguk with a few of the other dance troupe members as back up dancers, including Minho. Towards the end were smaller group pieces, including their friends’ piece.Chan bit his lip, excited but nervous to see them perform.

The golden light was like a halo on the white backgrounded stage, the three of them standing with their backs together. The music was entirely instrumental and Hyunjin was at the front. The three of them looked elegant and graceful, the music soft and with a dark twist with Hyunjin in front.

They had all seen pieces of this performance, the three of them practicing the steps anywhere they were together. It was all self choreographed, the three of them working so hard on it, it was incredible to see it all together, so intense and beautiful on that stage.

The music shifted during Minho’s part and Jisung resisted rolling his eyes at his hyung’s show, Chan actually rolling his eyes at Minho. It was slower, bass heavy, a little bit sexy. That was Minho’s wheelhouse, he did sexy very well, but it wasn’t raunchy. It was still beautiful but with a bit of an edge to it.

The music ramped up for Felix’s center part. It was still bass heavy but with an EDM style, Felix looking intense and capable in the middle. Chan would be lying if he said Felix didn’t take his breath away when he danced. It was where Felix knew what he was doing, his home up there with his fancy footwork.

They ended with Hyunjin and Minho’s backs to the crowd, Felix on a knee. The lights dropped out and the six of them clapped the loudest, hooting for their boys. They knew they were embarrassing but that was more than fine by them.

The last group performance was breathtaking, absolutely stunning but all Chan could look at was Felix. He looked so at home up there, putting his all into the performance. He breathed out slowly, watching the way Felix twisted and turned with the swells and collapses of the music, absolutely in awe. It was a feeling he knew very well, watching Felix dance. But somehow, on stage, under all the lights, it was twice as unbelievable.

When the lights came back up, there was another short message from Park Jinyoung, thanking them all and congratulating his dance troupe and then it was over. The six of them bolted for the door, trying to escape the rush and instead running for the dressing room.

Bambam opened it and stopped short but Chan grabbed him anyway, hugging him tightly while congratulating him. Bambam laughed into his shoulder while the others took the distraction to run into the dressing room, accosting their friends. Minho’s giggling laughter could be heard over all else, Hyunjin squealing in surprise.

When Chan finally let go of Bambam, he looked into the room to see Felix being squished by Woojin, Felix laughing into his shoulder. Jisung and Changbin were congratulating Minho while Jeongin and Seungmin were practically climbing on Hyunjin. Chan pat Bambam in the back, catching Yugyeom by the arm to talk to him briefly before letting him go, his eyes finding Felix again.

Felix’s hairline was damp with sweat, his features shimmery and glistening as well with moisture, his black button down for the final performance unbuttoned and revealing the tank top he was wearing underneath. His stage makeup was still clinging to his features, the thick foundation covering up all his freckles, the only bad part about all of it. The eyeliner made his eyes look smokey and the lipstain colored his already plush lips maroon. Chan would be lying if he said he wasn’t thinking about kissing him.

Felix finally looked at him, smiling widely with all of his teeth. Chan reached out for him, Felix fitting right against his chest. Felix hugged him tightly, letting go with a soft noise, smiling up at Chan. Chan smiled right back, just as full and bright, putting his dimples on full display.

“You guys looked amazing out there,” Chan told him. Felix blushed softly under the makeup. “That piece you guys did was incredible, I’m glad I got to see it.”

“I’m glad you got to come. I know you’re really busy,” Felix told him, voice so sincere. It broke Chan’s heart a little bit.

“Not for you guys,” Chan tried to keep it light. “You looked incredible up there, ‘Lix. Really, really great.”

 

The week leading up the Fall Fest, Chan was running all over campus trying to meet with Jaebum about the fest’s own DJ booth, helping plan the after party, going to his classes. He fell into his seat behind the mic on Wednesday, sighing in relief that he was finally able to sit somewhere. He had already taken the shuffle to and from the village three times that day to build the DJ booth in Jimin and Yerin’s apartment and all three times he was clutching one of the hanging handles because the damn bus was packed.

“Welcome one and all back to KNUA 128.6, 3RACHA on the mic for you guys again, working from nine to midnight every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. It’s Wednesday the 24th of October and the last day you guys will be hearing from us before our very own, CB97 takes the booth at Fall Fest,” Jisung introduced them. “It’s your boy, J.One on the main mic, SpearB and CB97 in the booth with me and we’ll be giving you the details on Fall Fest in just a couple of minutes. Right now here’s a song to get the mood right, this is HandClap by Fitz and the Tantrums.”

Changbin put the song on while Chan rolled his head on his shoulders, removing his headphones from his head. Jisung turned towards him, lifting a brow at his state of exhaustion, Changbin keeping an eye on the screen.

“Don’t ask,” Chan told them, adjusting slightly in his seat. “Did Woojin chain you guys the email?”

“Actually Jimin did, why didn’t you?” Jisung asked.

“I’m practically living in Jaebum hyung’s office and the field house this week,” Chan replied. “We’ve got so much to do before the Fall Fest and I’ve been running back and forth to Jimin and Yerin’s all day to get the DJ booth ready in their apartment. If it wasn’t for Bambam I’d probably still be there.”

“Are you gonna make it to the dorm for Minho’s party tomorrow night?” Changbin asked, flipping a different song onto the radio. Young the Giant’s Cough Syrup started playing, getting a critical eye from Changbin but he merely shook his head before focusing back on his hyung.

“Yeah, I’ll be there,” Chan agreed. “Sorry, I know I’ve been kind of M.I.A. since the dance performance,” Chan admitted. “Tell Minho I’ll definitely be there but I have to go back to the village after the show,” he told them, getting a head shake from Jisung. “Jimin is in charge of the dancefloor at the field house, she wants my help to set it up. I’m sorry.”

“You ever think you take on too much at once?” Changbin asked, grabbing for his headphones.

“All the time,” Chan replied. “Everyone’s gonna be there, right?”

“Everyone and a few of the Delta Zeta noonas,” Jisung told him. “Nayeonie and Momo noonas are making the cake, don’t forget to show up.”

The three of them put their headphones back on as the song finished up.

“That was Cough Syrup by Young the Giant, not a normal song for us to play but I love that one. As we promised, we would give you guys the details on the Fall Fest tonight, and we have the one and only CB97 here on the mic for the deets.”

“Thanks, J.One,” CB said, Felix reaching up to turn it up a bit. “As you guys know, Fall Fest is this Friday, but fear not faithful listeners, we will be on regardless of the fest, nine on the dot. Yours truly will be right behind the DJ booth once more, with a crafty mask as always.”

“Still trying to keep a lid on your secret identity, are you?” SpearB jibed.

“Can’t let anyone know who my Clark Kent is, can I?” CB joked. “The fest starts at noon and goes into well into the night, the closing fireworks set to go off at midnight. Due to the show, I’ll be escaping the fest around 8 but you guys will be listening to the song styles of one DJ Double B starting at that time. Your boys will be playing on the radio as well as the loud speaker above the fest starting at nine to close it out. All day long there will be food and fun carnival games hosted and run by the students and faculty here at KNUA. There will be apple bobbing, hopefully bringing in a new champ against the undisputed Lee Minho, pumpkin bowling and so much as more as well as a costume and pumpkin carving contest. Be sure to come out, show your support and get a hot cider on the school while you’re at it.”

“Do you plan on entering the costume contest for your mask this year?” SpearB asked.

“I don’t, but your boy will be rocking a mean skeleton costume this year if you’re looking for me,” CB informed the masses.

Felix turned the volume down a bit as they dissolved into bantering back and forth. He opened his school email, finding the mail Minho had sent to him and chained between them as well as Hyunjin, Seungmin and Jeongin. The after party was going to be at Jimin and Yerin noonas’ apartment and costumes were mandatory, unsurprisingly.

Felix hadn’t even thought of a costume yet and he looked at his phone sitting on the side of his desk.

He hadn’t heard from Chan since the dance performance, seemed to be catching Jisung or Changbin or Woojin before he managed to find Chan. He had been planning on messaging him to see if he was going to show up at the party they were having for Minho’s 20th. He grabbed his phone as they started playing Where Are U Now ft Justin Bieber, which felt only a little bit like a punch to the gut.

 **lix:** do you have a costume for halloween yet?

 **channie:** not yet. dunno if i’m gonna dress up this year tbh

 **lix:** well you’re going to the after party right

 **channie:** … probably

 **lix:** what’re you wearing to that then?

 **channie:** an ugly error 404: costume not found shirt

 **lix:** lame

 **lix:** will i see you at minho hyung’s party tmrw

 **channie:** its my dorm. course.

Felix set his phone back down as the song petered out, listening to see if they would come back on. Weight in Gold by Gallant started playing instead and Felix leaned back in his seat, tapping his fingers against the back of his phone in thought.

 

Chan showed up somewhere next to on time to the party, finding his apartment already full of people. The cake was sitting on the counter, the candles blow out and smouldering while Minho was spread out on Hyunjin and Jisung’s laps, Hyunjin carding his fingers through his hyung’s hair gently, bottles and glasses already littering the floor and tables. Chan set his bag by the door and toed off his shoes, grabbing a lukewarm beer from the table before walking further into his apartment.

“Well it’s about time!” Minho shouted from where he was lying. Chan used his keyring to pop the cap off his beer, quickly losing track of where it was as he approached his friend. “Goddamn, man! You couldn’t even be on time to my damn birthday party!”

“You said 8, it’s 8.15,” Chan retorted. Minho narrowed his eyes at his hyung but Chan only leaned down and smacked a wet kiss to his cheek making Minho smile brightly. “Happy birthday, Minho,” he told him and then booped him on the nose.

“Good timing, actually, we haven’t even cut the cake!” Momo said from where she was sitting on the counter, Nayeon standing between her knees. “We’re waiting for the birthday boy to get off his ass to get into it!” Momo pointed out, getting a groan from Minho as he struggled to his feet.

“Damn, alright!” Minho said, walking towards the kitchen, getting a cheer from the younger members of their group. Jeongin and Hyunjin followed him to the kitchen, Momo turning her body to fold her legs under herself as Minho scavenged a knife, Nayeon leaning on her back while Jihyo rested an elbow on the counter, watching with her big eyes.

“I was starting to think you dropped out on us,” Woojin commented, coming up next to Chan. Chan rolled his eyes, taking a drink of his beer. “Where the hell have you been? Seungmin asked me if you could help with his English paper and I had to tell him you were in class and Felix has been looking all over for you. You’re like a fucking ghost, even in the apartment,” Woojin said but his tone wasn’t accusatory, it was more concerned than anything.

“This whole fucking week has been so crazy,” Chan admitted, turning towards him. “Jaebum is practically riding my ass about this show and then there’s the DJ gig and the girls and I’m so fucking busy, man. I’m gonna be so glad when this fucking week is over,” Chan explained in a rush, Woojin’s eyes going soft. “If Seungmin asks again, just text me, I’ll find the time and Felix-”

“Hyung?” Felix asked, coming over to them. Chan clammed up, Woojin grimacing before sliding past them to get to the kitchen. Felix smiled hesitantly, Chan turning to look at him. “Hey, I feel like I haven’t seen you in ages.”

“Yeah…” Chan said, lifting his free hand to rub the back of his neck. “Classes have been so crazy and I’m spending so much time with Jaebum about my thesis…” he explained with a grimace. “You’re coming to the fest tomorrow, right?”

“Yeah,” Felix said. “Will I see you there?”

“Maybe towards the beginning, I have some stuff I have to do the rest of the day,” Chan said, vaguely, Felix nodding his head. “You should meet me by the cider stand though, around noon, if you have time.”

“Yeah, I’ll have time,” Felix agreed.

“Good. You never told me how you did on that paper, punk,” Chan ribbed him, making Felix laugh. There was a shout from the kitchen and the two of them looked over, Jisung wiping a bit of frosting off of Changbin’s cheek and then sticking it in his mouth. Changbin turned pink while Momo giggled, her hand absolutely caked in cake and frosting.

Chan wrapped an arm around Felix, Felix fitting himself against his hyung’s side as they walked over while Chan yelled about them playing with their food.

 

Chan ran to the cider stand already running late. He’d been helping Jimin with the DJ booth and the floor when Jaebum had caught him and talked his ear off about his thesis and the fest. Chan had rambling his agreeances, only half listening and all but sprinting across the quad to get to the field house. The DJ booth and the dance floor had been set up underneath a black tent on the far side of the quad and all the food had been put inside (probably to ward of the possibility of another spiking), games and booths sprinkled between the two, leaving Chan weaving between people and booths to get to the cider stand.

Felix was already there, wrapped in a scarf and chatting with Jisung and Changbin, one of Jisung’s hands tucked into Changbin’s coat pocket along with Changbin’s hand. Chan tilted his head as he slowed his pace, coming up on his friends standing together, Jisung and Felix both holding hot cups of cider and Changbin munching on an apple donut.

“Hey hyung,” Jisung greeted him.

“Hey…” Chan said. He pointedly looked at Changbin’s pocket before attempting to meet Changbin’s eye, which was deliberately not looking him in the eyes. “I thought you weren’t coming,” Chan said, tucking his hands in his pullover hoodie pocket. He had opted for a jean jacket and his big black hoodie. It was baggy and warm, good to keep him warm and comfortable and fit well over the skeleton costume he was wearing underneath to DJ in.

“I told you Jisung was probably gonna drag me out here,” Changbin told him, finally meeting his eyes. Chan lifted a brow, Changbin shrugging his shoulders. “Whatever, there’s hot cider, donuts and the DJ is gonna be awesome,” he commented, giving Chan a knowing look as he took another bite of his donut.

“Is he playing yet?” Felix asked, turning to look out the open doors of the field house.

“Not yet, he’s supposed to go on at 1… that’s what… Jimin said,” Chan told him. “Why, you wanna get a good look at CB97?” Chan asked, teasing Felix lightly, who turned pink as he sipped his cider.

“I mean,” he swallowed and shrugged. “He’s a good DJ and everyone wants to know who he is so… it’d be cool right, to get to see him? Do you have to go before he goes on?” Felix asked, looking up at Chan. He nodded, making Felix frown. “Are you sure you can’t stay, he’s so good.”

“Prior commitment with a friend,” Chan told him. “You’ll tell me how it was, yeah?” Chan said, ruffling his hair a bit. Felix groaned, lifting his hand from his pocket to put his hair back into place. Chan looked at Jisung and Changbin, Changbin staring at him while Jisung was looking everywhere but at him, rather obviously too. “What about you two, what’re you doing?”

“We don’t have classes on Fridays,” Changbin said. Jisung elbowed Changbin a little, making him cough on a bite of donut.

“I have a night class,” Jisung amended. “But it’s not until eight or so, so we’ll be here most of the day,” Jisung said. Chan’s brow furrowed but Felix gently touched his arms.

“Jisungie has a night class on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, it’s why he’s never in the dorm until late. I almost beat him with a baseball bat at least three times the first month we were living together until he explained,” Felix explained. “You didn’t know?” Felix asked, tilting a head.

“Ah, no. He never mentioned,” Chan said, giving Jisung a look, the younger boy looking far too pleased with himself.

“You should pay more attention, hyung,” Jisung replied. Chan rolled his eyes. “What time is your thing anyway?” Jisung asked, taking a sip of his drink.

“Not until quarter to 1.”

“It’s 12.35,” Felix mentioned. Chan pulled his phone out of his pocket, swearing under his breath. Damn Jaebum and his rambling mumbling. “It’s fine, I’ll see you later tonight, right?” Felix asked.

“Late,” Chan said. Felix nodded. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay. You’re busy, I get it,” Felix assured him. Chan lifted a hand, not sure what he was planning to do until he ended up just tugging Felix towards him. Felix made a surprised noise and then laughed softly, letting Chan pull him all the way in, holding his cider out to the side to avoid spilling it on himself or Chan. Chan hugged him tightly, Felix hugging him back with one arm, pulling back at smile at his hyung. “It’s fine, hyung,” Felix said when he pulled back, and Chan huffed a sigh.

“You’re the best, you know that?” Chan told him. Felix shrugged, Chan reluctantly pulling away and immediately running through the crowd.

Felix turned back to Jisung and Changbin, who were looking at him with a significant look. Felix lifted his cider to his mouth, avoiding their eyes.

“You have a crush on Chan hyung, don’t you?” Jisung asked, breaking the silence. Felix sputtered into his cider, lowering his cup to lift the edge of his sleeve to his mouth. His eyes finally met theirs and Changbin was giving him a knowing look while Jisung just looked a little too sad for Felix’s comfort.

“No,” Felix said. “Why would you say that?”

“It’s a feeling,” Jisung replied.

“You look sad every time he has to go but you’re always so understanding about his flaky bullshit. Did he actually explain as to why he couldn’t stay?” Changbin asked. Felix shook his head, looking at the ground. “I’m not saying Chan hyung is a bad guy, no one in their right mind would say that, and I know, for a fact, that he has a good reason for never being around lately but maybe… it’s not worth it to wait around for him to notice, Felix. Hyung’s really not that perceptive,” Changbin told him. Felix bit his lower lip.

“What do you suppose I do?” Felix asked, looking at him.

“You should tell him,” Jisung told him. “Trust us, we don’t think it would be a bad idea,” Jisung told him.

Far off, they could hear the announcement that CB97 was going to take the booth and Felix turned towards the sound.

“You should go,” Changbin told him, Felix whipping back around to look at him. “He’s a good show, I promise,” he said. “Besides, hyung said he wanted to hear about it, right?” Changbin reminded him. Felix nodded. “Go on.”

Felix hugged them both before going for the booth, Jisung falling into Changbin’s side. Changbin stumbled from the sudden added weight against his side, getting a laugh from Jisung, while squeezed his hand a little where he was holding it in Changbin’s coat pocket. Changbin righted himself and looked at him with a wither expression.

“Hyung’s DJing the after party, right?” Jisung asked, tugging on Changbin’s hand a bit. Changbin let himself be steered around, tossing his napkin and Jisung’s empty cup into a nearby trash can.

“Yeah?” Changbin replied.

“Great!” Jisung replied, getting an unimpressed look from Changbin. “Oh c’mon, hyung, I have a plan! And it’s a good one. But we have to find Minho hyung and Hyunjinnie,” Jisung explained, pulling his hyung further into the field house.

“What good are they gonna be? They’re useless on a good day,” Changbin replied.

“You’d be surprised,” Jisung told him with a smile.

 

“Damn, who let the hottie in the house?” Jisung asked, walking into the hyungs’ apartment the night of the after party. Felix turned towards him with a frown, but it was diminished by the heavy eyeliner and maroon lip stain Hyunjin and Minho had forced on him.

Hyunjin smiled at his friend, apparently going for solidarity points, dressed as a vampire as well, the makeup equally as over the top and wearing his skinny jeans as well as button up already. Felix hadn’t gotten dressed yet, still in jeans and a t-shirt. Minho, however, had apparently decided to go with the Delta Zeta girls, Bam and Yugyeom because he was wearing his blue jumpsuit but had unzipped it to the waist, wearing a light gray tank underneath. The jumpsuit was also considerably tighter than it had any business being and his white and red wig had serious touseling done to it. It was, indeed, a sexy twist on Todoroki Shoto, especially given the eyeliner on top of his painted on scar.

“Did you really go scarecrow?” Minho asked, pouring shots at the counter. Jisung shrugged, apparently not too concerned around it.

Jisung was wearing his flannel, of course, but had tucked it into his jeans and included suspenders, and was wearing black boots, but the kicker was his face paint to make his mouth look sewn on and the little orange triangle on his nose. His hair was a mess under the baseball hat he was wearing and he put his hands on his hips while he frowned.

“It’s a classic!” Jisung insisted, bouncing over to the bar. “You guys seen Changbin?”

“He’s in his room, getting ready,” Hyunjin answered him. “Felix, I’m telling you to get dressed.”

“I’m not wearing that,” Felix told him.

“Put it on, it’s gonna be sexy!” Minho called out. Felix huffed and grabbed the clothes.

“Jisung, you’re my only friend here,” Felix said, getting a surprised face from Jisung. “I’m gonna put this on and you’re gonna tell me if I look dumb and do not lie to me,” Felix told him, and then locked himself into the bathroom. Jisung rolled his eyes then turned, looking at what Minho was doing.

“What is this?” Jisung asked, pointing at the shots.

“Black Cat shots. The recipe is technically a cocktail but I’m creative and also wanna get drunk,” Minho informed him, making Jisung roll his eyes. “Three parts cherry vodka to one part cranberry juice to one part cola.”

“That’s gross,” Changbin said, coming out of his room. Jisung turned around and smiled widely at his hyung’s costume. A full grim reaper get up with black robe, scythe, and black bandana to cover his nose and mouth. “Doesn’t cherry vodka have a tendency to taste like cough syrup?” Changbin asked.

“Probably,” Minho replied. “But I’m not here for the taste.”

The bathroom door opened to reveal Felix, who looked grumpy to say the least. Jisung’s eyes immediately lit up. Felix was wearing a button down with an undone bowtie, the first button undone, and skinny jeans distressed to the heavens, a pair of fishnets underneath. He put his hands on his hips, staring at Jisung.

“Tell me I look dumb.”

“You look good,” Jisung replied.

“Not the answer I wanted,” Felix told him, getting a shrug in reply. Hyunjin squealed and came over, wrapping his arms around Felix’s shoulders. “I can’t believe I agreed to let you dress me,” Felix said but he was smiling a little reluctantly anyway. “Why am I wearing the fishnets, that’s your thing.”

“Because I only own one pair and I don’t need to get laid tonight,” Hyunjin told him, looking up and sharing a knowing look with Minho, who winked.

“I don’t either!” Felix cried.

“Are we picking on hyung?” Jeongin asked, letting himself into the apartment. Minho squealed, bringing his hands up to his face. “Don’t,” Jeongin said, pointing to his hyung.

“I dressed him!” Seungmin said, sounding very proud of himself. Seungmin was dressed to the nines in a star and moon embroidered robe, complete with pointy hat. He was even carrying a staff, which looked like a paper mache mockup complete with plastic crystal ball on the top of it. Jeongin was wearing a bat costume, with wings and ears and black painted on whiskers. It was a very cute idea but he didn’t look thrilled around it.

“Why does everyone else get to be sexy and this is what I got? I look like a child,” Jeongin complained.

“Because you’re a baby,” Jisung said, pinching his cheek. “So cute!” He shrieked, getting a pout from Jeongin.

“Alright, c’mon, we gotta drink and then go, or we’re gonna be late,” Minho insisted.

“Can you be late to a party?” Seungmin asked, leaning on the bar.

“Where’s hyungs?” Jeongin asked, jumping up onto a stool. His costume fluttered around him, Jisung moving to mess with the fabric attached to his sides and arms, creating the wings. Jeongin tried to swat him away but Jisung was persistent.

“Chan hyung said he won’t be coming,” Felix answered for them, his eyes falling to the ground. Hyunjin cooed, squeezing him a little extra tightly, getting a reluctant, sad smile from Felix.

“Woojin had to go to the girls’ early for set up,” Changbin tried to change the subject. Hyunjin extracted himself from around Felix but grabbed his hand, dragging him towards the bar to join the rest of their friends. “Jimin and Yerin needed the help, said they had too much shit to do,” Changbin said, rolling his eyes.

“Their loss!” Minho said, pushing the shots at all of them. It was a strange, black-ish red color and Jeongin gave it extreme pause. Felix picked his up and looked at the shot for a long time. “It’s not going to bite you and I can tell you exactly what’s in it, so it’s fine.”

“Is it?” Seungmin asked.

“Ah, probably,” Minho replied. “To Halloween!” He insisted, lifting his glass.

“To hopefully not alcohol poisoning,” Hyunjin replied, picking his up.

“To hopefully not dying and we all get back here in one piece,” Changbin said.

“That’s the right one,” Felix told them.

Clink. Tap. Shoot.

The party was already in full swing by the time they walked up to the apartment building. The lights in the girls’ windows were a strobing neon mess and when they walked in, it was wall to wall with students. The lights were all off, the orange and purple fairy lights strung across the living room and the strobing ball of neon placed strategically around the room the only sources of light.

The kitchen’s lights had been replaced with black light bulbs (a terrible idea given that’s where the food and drinks were) and the DJ booth was pushed into the window alcove. They managed to lose each other almost immediately except for Felix latching onto Jisung’s shirt without mercy. Jisung rolled his eyes, he and Changbin going for the corner adjacent to the DJ booth to try and get their wits about them before they jumped headfirst into the throng of people.

CB97 was standing at the booth again, full face paint in effect and wearing the same skeleton costume as he had the day before but it was glowing glow-in-the-dark green in the dimness of the living room. His hair was a bright platinum blonde that was flashing with the neon strobe lights and Felix narrowed his eyes, looking at him hard until someone came into his field of vision blocking CB entirely. He looked up and let out a soft laugh.

“What’s up, guys?” Woojin said. Jisung laughed loudly while Changbin shook his head at his hyung. Woojin was wearing a shredded flannel and skinny jeans while his hands were decorated with fake hair and black claw nails, fake fangs in his mouth. “This is a very in look, how dare you laugh at me?!”

“Wolfman, really hyung?” Changbin asked.

“I’m a classic.”

“Why is that phrase so familiar?” Felix asked, his gaze swinging to look at Jisung.

“This is a classic!” Jisung defended himself, getting a laugh from his friends. Jisung pouted while Woojin looked Felix over before his eyes lifted and gave him a pointing look. Felix shook his head, lifting his hands in defense.

“I didn’t dress myself. Hyunjin went way overboard on this,” Felix told him. “This is the last time I’m letting him and Minho hyung convince me to let them choose my costume.”

“Oh, Felix no!” Woojin said, with fake concern. “Felix, that was bad.”

“Clearly!” Felix replied but he was laughing.

“You guys just get here?” Woojin asked. He turned his body more towards Changbin and Jisung and Felix could see CB over his shoulder. His mask was gone, he was wearing a Scream style ghost mask at the Fall Fest but here he was just in elaborate face paint, so much so that in the dim light and the layers of white and black on his face, you couldn’t figure out who he was if you tried.

“Yeah, Minho insisted on pre-game shots,” Changbin told him, the music amping up. Woojin grimaced. “Yeah! Is there beer in the kitchen?” Woojin jerked his head towards the purple-blue of the kitchen, Changbin going to follow him. Jisung paused to grab Felix’s sleeve.

“You coming?” He asked, leaning in. Felix looked at him and shook his head. “Alright, we’ll see you later, okay?” Felix agreed and Jisung let go, disappearing into the crowd in the direction Woojin and Changbin just went. Felix looked back at the DJ booth and thought, for sure, he met eyes with CB.

It was a brief, so brief that he almost couldn’t be sure, almost. But CB immediately looked back down and Felix waded through the crowd to get closer.

Hyunjin and Jeongin accosted him halfway there, Jeongin’s bat whiskers already starting to smear on his cheeks. Felix giggled at his already disheveled appearance, glancing back to see Hyunjin plastered to his back when he felt hands close around his hips. It was clear Hyunjin was just trying to get him to have a good time so, for the time being, he let him.

He danced with Hyunjin and Jeongin for awhile before Minho and Yugyeom and Sana showed up, Todoroki Iida and Tsuyu. Sana was, like always, a big ball of energy to dance with and she even managed to place a perfect, froggy green lip print right on Hyunjin’s cheek. Yugyeom had managed to make sexy Iida work for him, which was not something Felix ever thought was even possible but Yugyeom was Yugyeom and he worked miracles somehow.

Chan wasn’t sure how long he was standing at that booth for but he was certain whatever higher power was in charge was absolutely trying to ruin his night as the time wore on and Felix never moved from directly in front of the booth. There was perhaps a single layer of people between the actual booth and him but Chan got a good look from where he was standing.

He felt awful that he had been practically blowing Felix off for the past week and now he had to DJ and try to pay attention while Felix looked the way he did. It wasn’t like Felix to dress the way he had come (Chan had a terrible feeling he knew who to blame for that) and Hyunjin was certainly laying it on thick the way he was dancing with him. Chan ended up diverting his eyes to his booth more than anything, hardly being able to look up when all he could see was Felix.

Woojin walked a little too close to the booth, giving Chan the ability to reach out and grab him. Woojin stumbled back, just barely saving his beer from spilling all over himself. He turned to look at Chan, who put his mix on auto.

“Have you seen Bam, I gotta go,” Chan told him in a rush.

“It’s barely past 11,” Woojin commented. He looked around and then spotted Felix, which caused him to huff. “Are you fucking serious right now?”

“It’s not about him.”

“It’s about him, so why don’t you pull on your big boy pants and tell him the truth? I will help you and find Bam on the condition that you go up to Felix and you tell him the truth,” Woojin insisted. Chan looked away, rolling his eyes.

He really didn’t want to do that, he wanted Bam to take over so he could go home, wash up and go the fuck to sleep, pretending that Felix hadn’t walked into the party looking like all that. But that apparently wasn’t an option so Chan looked back at Woojin and agreed.

“Okay, if you give me an out, I will tell him,” Chan said. Woojin smiled, so large it showed off his fake fangs and Chan shoved him away, going back to his music.

Bambam showed up in five minutes, Chan jumping back in surprise. Bambam had actually managed to turn up Deku from My Hero Academia’s costume up to 11. He was wearing the green jumpsuit but had unzipped it down to his hips, revealing the black tank top he was wearing underneath and was wearing off-white fingerless gloves to mock the real hero outfit as well as had a muzzle around his neck he had spray painted silver, black combat boots on his feet. His hair was dark green and had painted the freckles onto his cheeks, adding thick, black eyeliner. Chan opened his mouth and then closed it, shaking his head.

“What’s up? Woojin said you need me to take over,” Bambam said, leaning in.

“Yeah… you didn’t actually dye your hair that color, did you?” Chan asked.

“It’s spray color. You okay?” Bambam asked, looking concerned.

“I’m fine. I just… I can’t do this right now,” Chan told him. Bambam nodded and pulled him into a tight hug. Chan let go, smiling hesitantly and then motioned to the booth. Bambam took over, Chan pulling his sampler free to let Bambam plug his own music in.

“Hey, hey, make some noise for my boy, CB97!” Bambam shouted into the microphone and Chan couldn’t believe the party was still coherent enough to scream in reply. “CB’s calling it a night, your boy DJ Double B taking over the music for the rest of the night. Let me hear ya’ll scream!” Bambam laid it on, getting another rousing round of cheers from the crowd. Chan disappeared into Jimin’s bedroom, freeing his jacket from her closet and then walked back out, hearing the fresh bump of bass from Bambam’s set.

Chan slipped through the crowd, headed for the door when he felt someone bump into him. He turned around, about to make a comment when he was bumped again and he reached out to steady the person. They looked up from around their feet and Chan felt his breath catch in his throat.

“I’m so sorry,” Felix said, his mouth closing with an audible click of his teeth when he saw who it was. CB looked back at him and Felix realized, with a start, that CB was the same height as him. They looked directly into each other’s eyes, CB letting go of his arms with a startled jerk.

“I’m sorry,” Felix said again. “I didn’t mean to do that.”

“It’s okay,” CB replied, and Felix felt like he had to know that voice. “Uhm,” he said, his voice suddenly dropping a little. “Are you… friends with Woojin?”

“Yeah,” Felix replied. “Yeah, I know Woojin. Why do you ask?”

“He’s mentioned you before is all. Said you were a fan of the show,” CB replied, and Felix felt a little bit like he wanted the floor to just swallow him up. Or to just dissolve back into the crowd of people in this damn apartment, to never be seen again. “Hey, it’s always good to meet a fan. You wanna… talk, somewhere else? Double B’s set can get kind of loud,” he suggested.

“Uh… sure,” Felix agreed. CB nodded to the side, the two of them making their escape along the wall, CB pulling the window open for them. Felix looked around, CB climbing out onto the fire escape and then offering a hand to Felix. Felix glanced once more before taking his hand and letting himself be pulled out of the apartment and onto the escape.

CB closed the window halfway, the music still definitely audible but not as deafening as it was before. The late October air was crisp and a little biting but compared the the compact heat of tens of people inside the apartment, it was welcome. Felix could feel the sweat cooling on his skin, had a feeling he looked absolutely awful with smeared eyeliner and faded lipstain and streaky white foundation but he looked over and found that CB didn’t look a whole lot better.

His makeup was still thick on his face but he could see where it was streaking a little, the cracks of the thick eyeliner and shadow around his eyes. The street lamps combined with the flashing lights still made it too dark to see who it was if Felix even recognized him but he looked a little more human, his blonde curls frizzing and his white kicks stained with dirt.

“Can I tell you something?” Felix asked. CB looked over at him, curious. “I really admire you. And I don’t just mean because you’re mysterious and interesting as a public figure but because your music is incredible. You’re so…” Felix paused with a sigh. “Your personality is so vibrant and I love every single song you play. You’re an incredible DJ, your sets are seamless and listening to you do your thing is amazing. You’re confident and strong and I think you’re stupid kinds of talented.”

“And you haven’t even heard me rap,” CB joked, shocking a little laugh out of Felix.

“Damn, you rap too? Who the fuck are you?” Felix laughed, shaking his head.

“About that,” CB started. Felix turned to him, tilting his head. “You… you should know. Felix,” he started and Felix’s breath caught a little. CB leaned in and Felix leaned towards him, CB’s eyes widening a little.

This was not what he was aiming for but Felix was right there and he was looking at his mouth, and fuck if that wasn’t what Chan had been looking at for the past week and a half. Besides, what if he told Felix the truth and he didn’t even want him. It was selfish, so damn selfish but Chan wanted to be selfish just once. He lifted his hand to rest on the side of Felix’s neck, pulling him in right as someone opened the window the rest of the way.

Felix flinched away from the sudden increase in music volume, Chan jumping back from Felix as he looked. Woojin shook his head at them and then climbed out there with them, squishing right between them. Felix huffed, moving to the farther corner of the escape’s platform.

“What the fuck, Woojin?” Chan said.

“Yeah, sorry to interrupt but we’re in kind of a situation right now. I brought the rest of the kids too, because the campus police are here,” Woojin explained in a rush. Chan swore under his breath.

“Fuck, alright, everyone down the escape,” Chan directed. The music was cutting off inside when Chan pulled the window shut behind Minho, the rest of them already down the fire escape. Chan climbed down, hitting the grass with heavy feet. “There’s another shuttle in five minutes, let’s go,” Chan said.

“No one’s gonna explain?!” Seungmin asked, pointing at Chan. Chan realized then that he was still in his costume, and most of the freshmen still thought he was CB97.

“We don’t have time, we have a shuttle to catch, let’s go,” Woojin said, pulling on Jeongin’s sleeve. The rest of them followed him, the nine of them breaking into a run to beat the rest of the party-goers that had managed to leave before the police rolled up and kept them in the building.

The nine of them made it to the shuttle, getting on the bus just before they reached max capacity. One other person managed to get on behind them before the bus was pulling away from the stop. Chan reached out, catching Felix by the waist and pulling him into his side.

“What the hell was that?” Chan asked, turning his attention to Woojin and Minho.

“Bambam hyung’s set caused a noise complaint, someone called across the street,” Minho explained, holding onto Hyunjin’s and Jeongin’s hands. “That’s what I heard from the noonas at least.”

“This is gonna make the radio,” Changbin mumbled, getting a disbelieving laugh from Chan. Jisung tucked himself a little closer to Changbin’s front, arms wrapped tight around his hyung’s middle. The bus was completely packed, the ride quiet as they rode back to campus. It wasn’t even midnight.

Their stop was the absolute last one before it started it’s rounds again, at the beginning of the apartments. All of them filtered off of the bus, the large crowd that once filled the bus considerably smaller. The nine of them stood at the stop for a moment, Chan finally letting go of Felix, who pulled away immediately. Chan bit his lip and looked away from them, thinking about where he was going to stay.

He was going to sleep on Jimin and Yerin’s couch that night and feign a long night in the library originally but that was clearly not an option anymore. The couches in the field house were pretty comfortable, he napped there a lot his sophomore year, maybe he could sleep there?

“Where are you going, Chan hyung? The apartment’s this way,” Felix called out to him. Chan turned to look, Felix already walking towards the apartment. Woojin looked down at the ground, Minho, Jisung and Changbin grimacing. Seungmin and Jeongin’s brows furrowed but Hyunjin didn’t look surprised, somehow. He just looked sad when he tugged the youngest two to follow Felix.

Woojin held his hand all the way to the apartment and Jeongin slept in his room that night. Felix disappeared into Minho’s almost immediately with Hyunjin and Minho. Seungmin was in Woojin’s and Jisung in Changbin’s so Jeongin slept with Chan and didn’t even complain when Chan cuddled in close and held him a little tighter than normal.

 

“It’s nine o’clock on this chilly Monday, the 28th of October. The temperature is currently a freezing 4 degrees here on KNUA campus. It’s SpearB on the main mic tonight, joined by my main men J.One and CB97 for your first 3RACHA show of the week right here on KNUA’s own radio channel, KNUA 128.6. We’re here with you every Monday, Wednesday and Friday nine to midnight and we’re glad to be back after, honestly, quite the weekend.

“But we’ll be giving you that story in just a few minutes. For now, let’s start the night off right with One Dance by Drake, Wizkid and Kyla,” Changbin introduced them, Chan reaching over to play the song. He settled back into his chair as it started up, Changbin pulling off his headphones to look at Chan.

“You’ve been moping all weekend,” Jisung said, his headphones hanging around his neck.

“Hardly. I moped Sunday and today,” Chan retorted, getting an eye roll from Jisung. “He doesn’t want to talk to me and I just fucking knew…” Chan sighed, getting sad eyes from Changbin. “I disappointed him.”

“No,” Changbin told him. “You didn’t. Give him time, he just… he doesn’t know what to think. You know what Felix is like. He needs time,” Changbin assured him. The music started to come to a close and Changbin put his headphones back on, turning into the mic, the other two doing the same.

Felix stared at his radio for longer than he would ever want to admit.

Jisung didn’t tell him, Changbin didn’t tell him, Minho and Hyunjin told him that night when he felt like pitching himself out the window. He took off his makeup, listening to Minho explain that Chan was CB and he was afraid of people knowing. He dressed in his most comfortable sweats, Hyunjin apologizing over and over for not being straightforward with him. He climbed into his hyung’s bed and let him kiss is head, telling him it would be okay.

Would it be okay? He felt so fucking embarrassed, he said all those things to Chan and he never… he never said anything.

He turned it on and Changbin’s voice filtered through the speaker, Jisung’s squeaky laughter (who the fuck else has a laugh like that, he should’ve known) coming through.

“As I said, if that happened. We can neither confirm nor deny because neither us nor any of our friends were there. We all have alibis,” Changbin insisted. Jisung was clearly trying to muffle his laughter and not succeeding at all. “We hope everyone got home safe that night, on a more serious note, and got to their classes alright today. Going to class hungover is no fun, not that I know that from experience or anything, I just assume as such.”

“Anyway!” Chan interrupted. It felt like the pit in Felix’s stomach had just opened right back up. “We’re glad to hear about such a successful Fall Fest and we were glad to see so many people come out for the occasion. Some of us, did not have such a good weekend, unfortunately.”

“Ah yes, it seems our very own CB97 has come down with a rather unfortunate case of heartbreak,” Jisung said, making Chan sputter into the mic.

“I didn’t say that!”

“You didn’t have to. In just a moment here we will playing a song SpearB and I have carefully, and personally curated just for our hyung and afterwards, we’ll be taking some listener calls and advice. It’s that time again for 3RACHats with your very own 3RACHA. This next song is call Bad at Love and it’s by Halsey,” Jisung introduced and the mics cut out immediately, probably to stop the listeners from hearing Chan choking them out.

Felix put his face in his hands. Excellent, just what he needed. For everyone on campus to hear about the disaster he and Chan have managed to make for themselves.

When Say You Won’t Let Go by James Arthur started playing Felix scoffed out loud. Chan hated James Arthur, he could only imagine the look on Chan’s face right now. He complained about James Arthur regularly and Felix lowered his hands from his face, looking over at his phone. He could call. He really, truly could and maybe… what would he even say.

“And we’re back, that last song was Say You Won’t Let Go by James Arthur.”

“How dare you,” Chan said. As Felix expected.

“Now, now, hyung, we can’t help if you don’t tell us what’s wrong? What’s on your mind? What’s got your heart so broken?” Jisung asked. Chan sighed into his mic and Felix bit his lower lip.

“I might’ve ruined one of my best friendships this weekend. They mean so much to me and… I don’t know if they even want to speak to me anymore. We haven’t spoken since Saturday and it’s… it’s really getting to me. I just don’t know what to do.”

“Do they know how you feel?”

“I… I don’t know.”

“Sounds like quite the situation. What do you think, listeners, let’s get a few of you on the line and see what you have to say about CB97’s situation. Caller number one, you’re on 3RACHats, what do you think?”

“Maybe you should tell them the truth,” they said and Felix shook his head. He knew that voice, damn Woojin. “If you want to be with them, you should tell them.”

“Thank you, caller number one. Caller two?”

“You’ll never know if you don’t ask.” Minho.

“Maybe they’re just as scared as you are? One of you’ll have to step up at some point. Why not you?” Jihyo.

“Step up to the plate, man. What do you got to lose?” Bambam.

“What if they don’t want me like that? What if I ruin it?”

“Somethings that are that important are worth the risk.” Hyunjin. What a romantic.

“But what if they do? Are you gonna pass that up?” Seungmin.

“Trust me, hyung. You can’t screw it up worse than you might’ve already,” Jeongin assured him. Chan laughed into the mic breathlessly.

“Thank you, all the callers who called in. Your advice will be taken into consideration,” Chan told them. “And you’re all right, maybe I just wasn’t considering how they felt. That was selfish. Maybe I should just tell them,” Chan said. The pause was lengthy and deep, Felix holding a staring contest with his radio. “If you’re listening, this one’s for you, love.”

Kiss Me by Ed Sheeran started playing and Felix barely made the chorus before his dorm door was slamming shut behind him.

Chan let himself into his room, stopping in the doorway when he saw Felix sitting on his bed. He smiled hesitantly at him, Chan stepping into the room and closing the door behind himself. His bag hit the ground and he slowly approached the bed.

“What’re you doing here?”

“I had to tell you truth,” Felix told him, getting to his feet. “I was embarrassed. I felt so embarrassed that I said all those things about CB in front of you. And then I was upset because, I thought you didn’t tell me because you were embarrassed by me. You never said anything to me and I thought it was because… because you were making fun of me or something,” Felix admitted and Chan stepped closer, reaching for his hand. Felix let him intertwine their fingers loosely. “I know you weren’t, you wouldn’t do that, I know that now, I was just… I wasn’t thinking. So I… I want to know the truth from you,” Felix said, lifting his eyes to Chan’s.

“Anything,” Chan agreed.

“Were you going to kiss me on Saturday?” Felix asked. Chan pressed his lips together and averted his eyes. “Hey,” Felix said, snagging the hem of Chan’s shirt, catching his attention again. “Don’t lie to me. Please.”

“Yeah, I was going to kiss you.”

“Without telling me?”

“I… you always sounded like you liked CB,” Chan told him. “Every time you talked about him, I didn’t want to tell you because what the hell am I other than your dorky hyung, hm? CB’s this mysterious and interesting radio personality and DJ and how can I live up to that?” Chan said, shrugging a shoulder. “I was going to kiss you because I was being selfish in that moment. Because I didn’t know if, after I told you, you would want me to.”

“That’s funny,” Felix replied immediately, getting a curious head tilt from Chan. “Because since you’re CB and Chan I don’t have to choose who I like more anymore,” Felix said. “Do you still want to kiss me?”

“I dedicated that song to you didn’t I?” Chan said, a little smirk tugging at his lips.

Felix lifted the hand at Chan’s shirt hem to his neck, tugging Chan into him. Chan went willingly into it, freeing his hand from Felix’s hold to grab onto his waist, tugging him in closer. Their lips pressed together and Chan gripped harder at Felix’s waist, Felix’s arms wrapping around his shoulders. Being the same height had the best advantages, Felix tilting his head just so to slot their lips together properly, Chan pressing in to deepen the kiss, eager to get to have Felix the way he wanted to.

He wasted no time in sliding his tongue along Felix’s lower lip and then gently biting down. Felix’s hands slid up into his hair and tugged a little, Chan pulling back to smile at him. Felix shook his head, Chan kissing him again and again and again.

 

**stray kids**

**binnie:**  STOP TEXTING HYUNG DURING THE SHOW

 **freckles:** I’D LIKE TO SEE YOU STOP ME

“The time is 11.58 pm here on November 2nd on the KNUA campus, which means it’s just about time for us to call it a night. We want to thank you guys for tuning in tonight and wish you all a good night and restful sleep before the weekend starts up again. We will be back for all your late night needs starting Monday, don’t forget to tune in every Monday, Wednesday and Friday to listen to the voice of night shift, 3RACHA, here on KNUA’s own 128.6 radio. This has been CB97 on the main mic for you all, my boys SpearB and J.One with me in the studio tonight and we’ll be signing off with a popular one, this is Charlie Puth’s One Call Away. Have a good weekend everyone.”

 **freckles:** THE SHOW IS OVER MF

 **koala:** r u guys 4 real???

 **minnow:** wow they’re really like that

 **jinnie:**  i have regrets helping them get together

 **freckles:** we’re not any worse than jisung and binnie hyung

 **squirrel:** don’t know what you’re talking about

 **minnie:** sure you don’t

 **teddy bear:** UR NOT FOOLING ANYONE

“Do you people ever eat anywhere else?” Jihyo asked, setting the menus down.

“Not really,” Chan answered for her. “The others will be here soon,” Chan told her. Jihyo shook her head as she walked away, the rest of the boys coming tumbling into the diner not long later. It was well past midnight, 3RACHA having wrapped up over an hour ago but they were all still awake and starving. Felix climbed into the booth, scooting right up next to Chan, resting his chin on his hyung’s shoulder.

“Were you picking on Binnie during the show?” Chan asked, looking at him. Felix shrugged a shoulder, sneaking his arms around his boyfriend’s waist.

“Perhaps.”

“The little brat,” Changbin said, but his tone was diminished by the fact that he was holding Jisung against him, Jisung’s cheek resting against his chest. “You should respect your hyungs, and our show!”

“I do! When you’re not playing music. If you’re playing music, I’m calling that free game,” Felix told him, getting an eye roll from Changbin.

“Children please,” Woojin said, not looking up from his menu. “Don’t make me have to separate you two.”

“The injustice of it all,” Minho complained. Chan looked over at him. “I put all my work into helping you and Felix get together, when do I get a cute boyfriend? This is unfair.”

“If you looked at Jeongguk hyung long enough to notice his damn heart eyes, you would already have one,” Hyunjin commented, taking a pointed sip of his water.

“What?!”

**Author's Note:**

> I'M ALWAYS A HOE FOR RADIO DJ AUs. but especially if they're also in college. and this fandom has none??? sorry but 3racha was meant for this. don't @ me.
> 
> unrelated but a mix was created because of this so like: [you're welcome <3 ](https://open.spotify.com/user/downtownsummernights/playlist/6SSRB95SShyKyZ7bwth2ez?si=QwXR5VpMSy20agtFoMAEmg)


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